First-Person Jesus Narration

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BardofArcadia

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I'm currently working on a story that features first-person narration from Jesus. Would any of you be opposed to reading something based on that premise? Would it matter if it was based off the gospels, or an entirely fictitious plot?

In my story, Jesus imagines what it would be like to not die on the cross, but to defeat Rome and became King of Israel. At the end of the story, he makes the decision to go through with God's plan.

How far can one go with writing for Christ until it because it becomes blasphemy in your eyes?
 

scifi_boy2002

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As a Christian, I don't see a problem with it. It sounds interesting to me. Go as far with it as you are comfortable with. Besides, in your story He is just thinking what it would be like if He did not die on the cross. I would write however you want to. No matter what you do, you will offend someone. Actually, it would not surprise me if the real Jesus thought of an alternate way to spread His message. In the Bible, He did ask not to die. H prayed that "this cup would pass away".
 
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Calla Lily

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Kazantzakis did something similar in The Last Temptation of Christ. I say, write the story the way it wants to be written. With any luck, the various denominations will condemn it and you'll make a boatload of money.

Not really joking. :)
 

JHFC

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Some denominations see entertaining sin in your mind (which would be what disobeying God would constitute) as itself a sin.

So, for instance, if you have an adulterous thought briefly, that isn't a sin, but if you entertain the adulterous thought, that is a sin.

In other words, having Jesus sinning is going to help you with Calla Lilly's plan. If that's what you want.
 

Underdawg47

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Some people might see it is blasphemy by any deviation from the Bible, but I have seen fiction where Jesus comes back and takes up residence in modern times and it seemed pretty good.
 

Deb Kinnard

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I'm really curious about how you could do it. To be frank, I'm not even sure I could read it, curiosity notwithstanding. Which one of us could walk in His shoes and live a life, have the thoughts that are fully human yet fully divine? I'd be willing to bet that we couldn't even understand what His inner life was like.

And yet you've got me wondering what it might read like...
 

Underdawg47

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I suppose it all depends on how you view Jesus. Muslims see Jesus as a prophet, Christians see Jesus as God, and perhaps atheists might see Jesus as just a man. A person who likes scifi, might want to write about Jesus as some sort of extra terrestrial being.
 

Robert Dawson

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Given that you have Jesus eventually opting for the Official Script, you are clearly not disrespecting that. (This might, however, be a copout...Get thee behind me, Robert!)

It is stated in the Bible that Jesus was subject to temptation. So if asserting that is blasphemy, we have a definite problem.

As far as I'm concerned, it's a matter of how well you write it. A goldsmith has to meet higher standards to be considered as a successful craftsperson than a person stringing wooden beads. If you want to riff on a story that is sacred to many people, you should be ready to do your best work - but not necessarily to toe the party line.
 

citymouse

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In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me..."

The notion that Jesus asked be spared the agony of the cross is scriptural. I wouldn't have a problem with your approach as long as it is handled deftly. You've set for yourself quite a task.

I find it fascinating to think that for three days the earth continued in its orbit as it bore the dead body of its maker. "...He was in the beginning. All things were made by Him and without Him was made nothing that has been made."
 

Robin Bayne

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In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me..."

The notion that Jesus asked be spared the agony of the cross is scriptural. I wouldn't have a problem with your approach as long as it is handled deftly. You've set for yourself quite a task.

I find it fascinating to think that for three days the earth continued in its orbit as it bore the dead body of its maker. "...He was in the beginning. All things were made by Him and without Him was made nothing that has been made."

Great points.
 

Rufus Coppertop

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If you want to go extra-canonical, the Thomas O Lambdin translation of the Gospel of Thomas is beautiful.

A translation by Willis Barnstone of the canonical gospels plus the apocalypse which is well worth studying is The New Covenant.
(Riverhead Books - New York 2002)A new translation from the Greek which has an appropriately semitic flavour, it refers to Jesus and his disciples with Hebrew and/or Aramaic forms of their names.

Jesus is Yeshua. John is Yohannan.

Also, you could read The Herods of Judaea by A.H.M. Jones and of course Jewish Antiquities by Josephus to get a feel for the politics of the time.

It would be good to understand the division of Judaea into tetrarchies and the relationship between the Romans and the tetrarchs as client-rulers.

There are so many things to know to do justice to such a story. For example, looking in the index of Herods of Judaea, for the name Jesus you'll find references to Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus, son of Phabis, Jesus, son of See, Jesus, son of Gamaliel, and Jesus, son of Damnaeus.

Also, the full name of Barabass who was freed by the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate when the crowd cried, "free Barabass" was actually Jesus Bar Abbas.

Samaritans considered Mt Gerizim to be the true place that Yahweh wanted for his temple. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that they actually built a temple there back in the time of Hasmonaean or Herodian dynasties.

Basically, there was stuff happening. Lots of and lots of stuff and you wouldn't be able to do any justice to a narrative from Christ's POV without knowing important background details and history which he would have been absolutely aware of.
 

meowzbark

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I'm currently working on a story that features first-person narration from Jesus. Would any of you be opposed to reading something based on that premise? Would it matter if it was based off the gospels, or an entirely fictitious plot?

In my story, Jesus imagines what it would be like to not die on the cross, but to defeat Rome and became King of Israel. At the end of the story, he makes the decision to go through with God's plan.

How far can one go with writing for Christ until it because it becomes blasphemy in your eyes?

Anne Rice wrote several books from the first-person POV of Christ and many of the reviews were positive. Write your book and then decide if it's publishable.
 

rwhegwood

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This would be out of the question from the perspective of the ancient communions. As noted Kazantzakis tried something in this vein, and was very nearly excommunicated from the Orthodox Church...not that it particularly mattered since he was likely an atheist and had strong communist sympathies. His books were forbidden by many bishops to Orthodox Christians, and the Roman Catholic Church likewise added a number of his works to their forbidden books list.

If one is hoping to include a broad cross section of traditional Christians among one's readers, then that could be a perilous path to follow.
 

eyeblink

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I haven't read it, but Norman Mailer did this in his 1997 novel The Gospel According to the Son.
 

jpoelma13

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The Book of Luke already has a passage where Jesus is tempted to become king of the world. It's Luke 5: 1-15. Satan tempts Jesus by saying that if he bows down and worships the devil, the devil would give him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Jesus replies that he serves the God alone. I wonder if you could expand the temptation in the desert into a full story or a novel.
 

cmhbob

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I'd read this. One of the things that's begun bothering me lately is the relative lack of information about Jesus and His life before His ministry. There's the temple incident where He's left behind, then the wedding, and here we are for the next three years. But what happened between the temple and the wedding? How often did he want to bang some disciple heads and say, "Look you morons! It's not rocket science!" What does the Son of God pray about when He goes off by himself?

Good luck.
 

frimble3

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I'm currently working on a story that features first-person narration from Jesus. Would any of you be opposed to reading something based on that premise? Would it matter if it was based off the gospels, or an entirely fictitious plot?

In my story, Jesus imagines what it would be like to not die on the cross, but to defeat Rome and became King of Israel. At the end of the story, he makes the decision to go through with God's plan.

How far can one go with writing for Christ until it because it becomes blasphemy in your eyes?

The Book of Luke already has a passage where Jesus is tempted to become king of the world. It's Luke 5: 1-15. Satan tempts Jesus by saying that if he bows down and worships the devil, the devil would give him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Jesus replies that he serves the God alone. I wonder if you could expand the temptation in the desert into a full story or a novel.
Considering jpoelma's quote, Bardofarcadia, what you're suggesting sounds not only not blasphemous, but practically canonical. I'm not particularly Christian, so my only objection is that I find it hard to suspend disbelief over first-person POV/narrative for a historical person that I may have my own views on.
Although, the proof is in the pudding, and if it's well-done, could be very interesting.
 

Maze Runner

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Yeah, it's a lightning rod of an idea. You'll get plenty of criticism, even if it's brilliant, but if you can pull it off, and well!, I think you'll survive it and you could end up making a boatload of money. If you have a strong sense that you can manage it, I say give it a shot. Luck!

signed,

A wayward Catholic kid
 

William Haskins

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it really doesn't raise that many eyebrows anymore. christopher moore's "lamb" takes a gently satirical view of jesus' "lost years" and was fairly well-received. unless you're recasting him in a provocatively revisionist manner or directly contradicting scripture, i doubt it will be a big deal.

there are dozens upon dozens of fictional works with jesus as a character (not counting the bible, nyuk, nyuk...) ... here are 50 or so.
 
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